Monday, 17 March 2014

Derek Bailey, George Lewis, John Zorn • Yankees

A collaborative trio no doubt this was, but both Zom and Lewis have made clear their admiration and debt to Bailey and it is the guitarist who as often as not defines the parameters of these five excellent tracks. The two long items, 'The Legend of Enos Slaughter' and 'On Golden Pond', are both indicative of Zorn's great skills as an improviser; not just a pasticheur or ironist, he is also a first-rate saxophone player, an aspect of his artistic personality that tended to be overlooked in the period between this record and the later Masada project. Lewis is a giant, a player with a huge tone, a complex grasp of higher harmonics and, like Zorn, a dedicated deconstructor of his instrument, constantly experimenting with his component elements: mouthpiece, bell and slides. It's Bailey, though who makes things happen. His acoustic and amplified playing is tight marshalled, fierce and never less than expressive. His first entrances on the opening 'City City City' are breathtaking, and anyone who takes the plunge and samples this now mid-price disc could well find it a taste-altering experience.

Richard Cook and Brian Morton
The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD

1. City City City2. The Legend Of Enos Slaughter3. Who's On First4. On Golden Pond5. The Warning Track

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